Is the law sinful?

Is the law sinful?
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May 05, 2018
in Daily Devotional
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As we have seen over the past couple of days, as believers we no longer have a relationship with the law, but what does that say about the law?
 
“So, what shall we say about all this? Am I suggesting that the law is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that gave us the clear definition of sin. For example, when the law said, “Do not covet,” it became the catalyst to see how wrong it was for me to crave what belongs to someone else. 8 It was through God’s commandment that sin was awakened in me and built its base of operation within me to stir up every kind of wrong desire. For in the absence of the law, sin hides dormant. 9–10 I once lived without a clear understanding of the law, but when I heard God’s commandments, sin sprang to life and brought with it a death sentence. The commandment that was intended to bring life brought me death instead.”
Romans 7:7-10 The Passion Translation (TPT)
 
The law is good, perfect and holy but it cannot help you to become good, perfect or holy. The law cannot produce life, instead, it only brings death; it empowers sin and brings condemnation, guilt and shame. In Christ, we have been restored to innocence because Jesus took our punishment for sin on our behalf (2 Corinthians 5:21), and now there is no longer any punishment or condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). That’s good news!
 
“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.”
1 Corinthians 15:55-56 King James Version (KJV)
 
The victory referred to here is that of total victory over sin at the cross where we were co-crucified with Jesus Christ. The sting that is removed is the empowering of sin which came through the law because now we are no longer under the law. Sin gets its power from the law.
 
When we focus on the law and on trying to live under it, all that happens in sin is strengthened in our lives. When we put ourselves under the law we allow sin to have dominion (control) over us (Romans 6:14). There is usually a lot of sin going on in churches where the focus is on preaching the law and preaching against sin. The law and sin should never be the focus of the believer – Jesus should!
 
Jesus didn’t tell us to preach against sin and He surely didn’t tell us to preach the law – He commanded us to preach the gospel: the good news of Jesus and what He has done for us and what is freely offering us. Our focus shouldn’t be the problem of sin but the solution to it: the good news of Jesus! When we preach the law and focus on what people need to do to get right with God (apart from faith in Christ and His finished work) we are ministering death to people (2 Corinthians 3:7) and empowering sin in their lives (1 Corinthians 15:56). Ministering the law to people only piles on condemnation (2 Corinthians 3:9) because it gets people to focus on themselves and see their inadequacies or causes them to become self-righteous and full of pride.
 
Thank God that we are no longer under law but under grace (Romans 6:14)! When we preach the true gospel, which contains the message of righteousness with God (Romans 1:17) – that is that by faith we are made right with God (Romans 5:1) and not through our actions – it sets people free to live in victory. Preaching grace causes people to stop focusing on themselves and causes them to fix their eyes on Jesus and to stand in awe of what He has done for them.
Much love,
I am ministering at FaithHill Church tonight and tomorrow:

Saturday, 5 May – Healing service – 6 pm at FaithHill Fourways: Eagles Nest Lodge and Conference Centre, 373 Leslie Road, Fourways, Johannesburg

Sunday, 6 May – Worship services – 8:30 am and 10:15 am at FaithHill Fourways: Eagles Nest Lodge and Conference Centre, 373 Leslie Road, Fourways, Johannesburg

Sunday, 6 May – Worship service – 18:00 at FaithHill Braamfontein: Bannister Hotel Bassment, 9 De Beer Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg

Join me if you’re able to. For more information on these meetings please contact FaithHill Church.
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